1.2 The Five Scrum Values

1.2 The Five Scrum Values

Official Scrum Guide Statement: Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living five values: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage.

While empirical process control provides the mechanical structure of Scrum, the five Scrum Values provide its human culture and ethical foundation. Without these values, Scrum events become empty bureaucratic exercises, transparency disappears, and trust collapses.

Scrum.org places heavy emphasis on the Scrum Values throughout the PSM I assessment. Many scenario-based questions test whether a proposed action embodies or violates these values.

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Deep Dive into the 5 Scrum Values

                   ┌───────────────────────────────┐
                   │      THE FIVE SCRUM VALUES    │
                   └───────────────┬───────────────┘
     ┌──────────────┬──────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┐
     ▼              ▼              ▼              ▼              ▼
COMMITMENT        FOCUS         OPENNESS       RESPECT        COURAGE
  To Goals       On Sprint       About Work   Capable People  To Do Right
 & Quality        Goal &        & Challenges   & Independent    Thing &
                  Work                        Team Members     Tackle Debt

1. Commitment

Members of the Scrum Team commit to achieving its goals and supporting each other.

• What Commitment Means in Scrum:

  • Committing to the Sprint Goal and the Product Goal.
  • Committing to high technical quality and adhering to the Definition of Done.
  • Committing to working professionally and supporting team members.
  • Committing to continuous self-improvement and empirical learning.

• Exam Trap Warning: Commitment in Scrum does NOT mean guaranteeing that 100% of the forecast Product Backlog items in a Sprint will be completed no matter what. In complex environments, scope is emergent. Forcing a team to hit fixed estimates at all costs violates empirical principles and leads to compromised quality.

2. Focus

The Scrum Team's primary focus is on the work of the Sprint to make the best possible progress toward the agreed goals.

• What Focus Means in Scrum:
  • Focusing on the Sprint Goal above individual task completion.
  • Minimizing multi-tasking and context switching.
  • Protecting the team from mid-Sprint interruptions and unvetted work additions.
  • Finishing items to "Done" status before starting new items.

3. Openness

The Scrum Team and its stakeholders agree to be open about all the work and the challenges with performing the work.

• What Openness Means in Scrum:
  • Transparency regarding true progress, technical obstacles, and risks.
  • Being open to stakeholder feedback during the Sprint Review.
  • Openly discussing team conflict and improvements during the Sprint Retrospective.
  • Admitting when an estimate was wrong or an approach failed.

4. Respect

Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and are respected as such by the people they work with.

• What Respect Means in Scrum:
  • Respecting Developers' expertise to determine how to build the Increment.
  • Respecting the Product Owner's authority to make product backlog decisions.
  • Respecting the Scrum Master's role in guiding Scrum effectiveness.
  • Valuing diverse perspectives, background experiences, and technical skills within the team.

5. Courage

The Scrum Team members have the courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems.

• What Courage Means in Scrum:
  • Courage to say "no" to stakeholders demanding unrealistic deadlines or scope additions mid-Sprint.
  • Courage to raise impediments and admit mistakes early.
  • Courage to call out organizational anti-patterns or toxic behavior.
  • Courage to tackle complex technical debt rather than sweeping it under the rug.

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How Scrum Values Support the Empirical Pillars

The Scrum Values and empirical pillars are deeply interconnected. As the Scrum Team, Scrum Master, and Product Owner embody these values, the pillars of empiricism come to life:

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Organizational Anti-Patterns and Value Violations

On the PSM I exam, scenarios frequently present organizational anti-patterns where values are compromised. Recognizing these violations will help you select the correct Scrum Master response:

Violation Scenario 1: Management Pressuring Scope

Scenario: A senior executive demands that the team add three urgent features to an active Sprint without removing any work.

• Value Violated: Respect (disregarding team autonomy) and Focus (fragmenting Sprint effort).
• Correct Scrum Master Response: Remind management that only the Product Owner can adjust scope, and scope changes must not endanger the Sprint Goal.

Violation Scenario 2: Hiding Technical Debt to Look Good

Scenario: Developers bypass automated testing to mark backlog items as "Done" before the Sprint Review.

• Value Violated: Openness and Commitment (compromising quality commitment).
• Correct Scrum Master Response: Coach the team on adhering to the Definition of Done and maintaining transparency.